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jackjoemack's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
cantordustbunnies's review against another edition
4.0
Gorgeous comic book style artwork combined with a cool sarcastic tone and psychedelic imagery. A lot of 4th wall breakage and humorous yet highly sexual scenes with some meta or philosophical narratives sprinkled throughout. I would have liked for it to have either been a whole lot funnier or to have had a more serious tone but as it is it's just kind of lazily intriguing and stops short of being truly great. Kirchner's sense of style and perspective shifting is really what makes it. His short autobiography included within could be interesting for fans but isn't written with a great deal of verve. Altogether it is enjoyably quirky and a great example of the medium but just doesn't quite "go there."
jeffhall's review against another edition
4.0
Paul Kirchner was one of those creators who was in my peripheral vision back in the glory days of Heavy Metal magazine in the 1980's. He was never one of the marquee names associated with that wonderful publication, but his series of half-page the bus strips always stood out for their imaginative and unassuming artistry.
So Awaiting the Collapse provided a great opportunity to discover a trove of Kirchner's work that I missed the first time around, including the "Dope Rider" series for which Kirchner is perhaps best known. The surrealistic adventures of that mellow skeleton have an appeal much greater than simple stoner weirdness, best summarized in this line from "Taco Belle":
"For Dope Rider, who has followed the road to ruin far beyond the last exit, the brief intermissions on his endless journey seem like brief intermissions on an endless journey..."
Although this volume is packed with great stuff, the piece "Tarot" (originally published in Heavy Metal) is certainly the crown jewel: it's a perfect blend of the grim, the supernatural, and the sexy that allows the artist's creative abilities to soar, and when Paul Kirchner soars, it's one heck of a flight for the reader!
So Awaiting the Collapse provided a great opportunity to discover a trove of Kirchner's work that I missed the first time around, including the "Dope Rider" series for which Kirchner is perhaps best known. The surrealistic adventures of that mellow skeleton have an appeal much greater than simple stoner weirdness, best summarized in this line from "Taco Belle":
"For Dope Rider, who has followed the road to ruin far beyond the last exit, the brief intermissions on his endless journey seem like brief intermissions on an endless journey..."
Although this volume is packed with great stuff, the piece "Tarot" (originally published in Heavy Metal) is certainly the crown jewel: it's a perfect blend of the grim, the supernatural, and the sexy that allows the artist's creative abilities to soar, and when Paul Kirchner soars, it's one heck of a flight for the reader!
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